Emote
by intheinkpot
Summary: A series of unrelated flash fics mainly focusing on Azula or Aang, but featuring other characters as well. Prompt #22: Loving - "How are you feeling?" -
1. Pet

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. The prompt is "Emote" from the avatarx100 community on . Feel free to go over there and snag this to do yourself.

Unless otherwise stated, none of these flash fics are connected so you don't need to read them in any sort of order, and most of them are probably going to be about Aang or Azula but other characters will show up as well.

**Title:** Pet

**Character(s): **Ty Lee, Azula

**Pairing(s):** None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Anger

**Summery:** As Ty Lee mourns the death of her pet, Azula finds her.

Ty Lee rarely got angry because she rarely found anything to be angry about, and when she did get more than mildly annoyed, no one took her seriously. She figured it might be because she cried when she got furious or maybe they thought her too insignificant for her anger to make a difference (because when Azula got angry, people paid attention and bent over backward and tripped over themselves to please her). Ty Lee didn't know if any of her theories were right; all she knew was that running to anyone, crying and full of rage, wouldn't change what had happened, and wouldn't bring any kind of justice.

That was why she knelt alone beside her dead pet, half way up the volcano wall on the outskirts of the Capital City, with her little hands curled into fists and sobbing. The rabbit-dog lay unmoving, a small pool of blood beside its mouth, white coat stained with dirt and blood. One of its front legs twisted at an odd angle.

Ty Lee wiped her hand against her cheek. "Stupid boys." She bit back another sob. "Stupid…"

"Ty Lee, what are you doing?"

She looked up to see Azula standing beside her, frowning, arms crossed. When Ty Lee didn't answer, Azula waved a hand toward the dead animal. "What happened to that?"

Ty Lee leapt to her feet. "Don't talk about Spot like that!" she shouted. "He was my pet!"

Azula stared at her. "Exactly. Was. What happened?"

Ty Lee's lip quivered. "Some stupid boys!" she burst out, stomping her foot. "They…they…threw rocks at him and hit him with sticks and…" She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

Azula's lip curled in disgust. She turned around and said, "I'll get some servants to come bury that thing."

Less than an hour later, Azula had returned with two servants, a hole dug and Spot buried. Now the two strode through the Capital City on the way to Ty Lee's house. It was getting late. Only a sliver of sunlight remained.

They passed a group of boys who were laughing and talking loudly. One of them threw Ty Lee a wide grin, and her fists clenched. Azula lazily examined them.

"Are those the boys who killed your pet?" she asked.

"Yes," Ty Lee said. Tears stung her eyes.

Azula hummed thoughtfully, eyes narrowing. They parted ways at Ty Lee's house, and Ty Lee trudged up to her room, flopped facedown on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

It felt like only moments later when Ty Lee was shaken awake.

"Ty Lee. Ty Lee, wake up." That was her mother.

Ty Lee opened her eyes and rolled over. "What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell us Spot died?" her mother asked, frowning. "Never mind; it doesn't matter. One of the Palace servants dropped by with this." Her mother gestured toward the door where her father was standing. Ty Lee gasped and sat up.

In his arms was a magnificent cougar-dog, only a few months old. It had beautiful copper eyes, gorgeous golden fur, and a lean body. It flicked its tail, jumped out of her father's arms, approached her with a graceful, powerful gait and sat at the edge of the bed. It stared at her indifferently, but when Ty Lee reached out a hand and pat its head, she was rewarded with a deep, loud purr.

Ty Lee didn't need anyone to tell her Azula had picked it out. Later, when Azula denied doing so, Ty Lee just smiled and hugged her again.

And the next time Ty Lee saw the group of boys, each one sported a large and nasty burn.


	2. Sleep

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

**Title:** Sleep

**Character(s):** Azula, Ty Lee

**Pairing(s):** None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Agitation

**Summery:** Azula just wants to sleep.

It was late when Azula limped through her bedroom door, legs aching with exhaustion. After successfully beating back an enemy invasion and single handedly distracting the Avatar and his two companions until the end of the eclipse, she had thought her father would be proud. She grimaced, making her way over to the desk against the wall, cursing Zuko. If he wanted to turn traitor, throw away his right to the throne and inevitably be killed, fine. She couldn't say she cared. But _why _had he had to tell their father that she was really the one to strike down the Avatar in Ba Sing Se?

Ozai had been angry when he summoned Azula into the throne room to demand an explanation. She didn't dare try to trick her father again, but she was unable to come up with a good excuse. What followed was a private Agni Kai.

She winced as she carefully removed her armor and set it on the desk. She was sure she had several bruises (the two worst appeared to be on her stomach and left side), but she didn't bother to check as she changed into a crimson night robe and tied it shut. She waved a hand at the lamps, and the room became dark.

It was only once she slipped under the silk covers, and her hand brushed against something warm and solid that she realized she wasn't alone. In an instant, a blue flame appeared in her hand. She leaned over the thing, squinting. Then she sighed and leaned back.

It was only Ty Lee. Azula rubbed a hand over her face. _I forgot I told her to wait for me._ She sat there, staring, for a long moment; she knew she ought to wake Ty Lee and tell her to go home, but Azula couldn't muster the energy to do so. Besides, Ty Lee appeared to be fast asleep, and it must have been past midnight.

Azula lay down on her right side, shifting around to get comfortable. Her back rubbed against Ty Lee's, and she hissed. She had fallen hard on her back at least once during the fight. Ty Lee murmured; Azula tensed.

"Azula?" Ty Lee said, her voice slow and tired. "Is that you?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "No, Ty Lee. I'm just a servant who decided to would be a good idea to sleep in the Princess's bed."

There was a long pause, and just as Azula began to think Ty Lee had fallen back to sleep, Ty Lee said, "That was sarcasm, wasn't it?"

Azula sighed. "Yes, Ty Lee, it was."

"Thought so." There was another pause, and then Ty Lee sat up, yawned and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Around midnight."

"What?" Ty Lee's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Azula. I only meant to rest for a couple of minutes; I didn't mean to fall asleep! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I didn't care. Besides, I only got back a few minutes ago."

Ty Lee leaned forward. In the weak moonlight, Azula could see her worried gaze. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Just go back to sleep."

"Was the Fire Lord angry about something?"

"_Sleep_, Ty Lee. _Now_."

"Azula, did something—" She began, placing her hand on Azula's side.

Azula hissed and jerked away, slapping Ty Lee's hand. "What part of 'go to sleep' don't you understand?" she shouted, and Ty Lee recoiled.

"I-I'm sorry, Azula, I didn't mean to hurt you, I—"

"You didn't hurt me," Azula spat. "I'm fine. Why do you have to be so aggravating?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were hurt! What happened? Did the Avatar—"

"I told you, I'm fine! Now shut up, and go to sleep."

This time Ty Lee didn't protest. She lay back down without another word. Azula closed her eyes, and within minutes she was on the brink of sleep. Ty Lee moved, scooting closer until Azula could feel her breath on the back of her neck, and settled down with barely two inches between them. Azula stiffened, waiting for Ty Lee to agitate another wound, but she didn't, and minutes later, Azula had fallen fast asleep.

She would inform Ty Lee of Zuko's betrayal in the morning.


	3. Battle

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

**Title:** Battle

**Character(s):** Azula, Ty Lee

**Pairing(s):** None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Concern

**Summery:** Azula experiences a moment of concern during battle.

Azula frowned as she threw another punch, a stream of fire roaring toward her opponent, and the Kyoshi Warrior deflected the blast with her metal fan. Azula took a split second to glance around and note the positions of the other warriors: two were pinned to trees, and Mai was making quick work of another one. Where was Ty Lee?

Azula's gaze shot back to the Kyoshi Warrior who was now distracted with the Avatar's sky bison, and then she scanned the area again. She spotted Ty Lee several yards away, attempting to get close to her opponent but unable to due to the warrior's sword. The warrior lunged; Azula's eyes widened as the sword passed through the air just over Ty Lee's head. Ty Lee shot passed the warrior, delivered several quick tabs causing her opponent to fall and turned to face Azula.

She paused for a second. Then her eyes went wide. "Azula!"

Azula spun around, arm shooting up. The Kyoshi Warrior's fan cut into her arm; Azula hissed, leapt away and pushed the warrior back with a wave of fire.


	4. Fear

**Title:** Fear

**Character(s):** Aang

**Pairing(s):** Implied Aang/Katara

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Consternation

**Summery:** Aang's thoughts as he faces Ozai.

Sweat dripped down Aang's face. His muscles ached, mind fuzzy with heat. The rock sphere shuddered from another blow, and his eyes squeezed shut.

Was this it? Was this the end? His last failure to the world?

Terror rushed through him. _This is it. I'm going to die._ Aang grit his teeth, trying to hold his rock prison together. _I'm sorry, Katara. I'm—_

The rock blew apart, flinging him backward. Something stabbed his back. Power surged through him. His hand shot through the rubble, snatching a handful of hair, and he pulled himself out, eyes and tattoos glowing.

He saw fear in Ozai's eyes.


	5. Late Night

**Title:** Late Night

**Character(s):** Aang, Zuko

**Pairing(s):** Implied Mai/Zuko

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Cranky

**Summery:** Zuko and Aang are having a late preparing for an early morning meeting.

Aang rubbed his itchy eyes, leaning back in his seat. Beside him, Zuko's head bobbed, and he rested his cheek on his hand. Aang sighed. He rolled up the scroll in front of him. "What do you say we call it a day?"

Zuko slumped in his chair. "We can't," he said. "The meeting is at nine tomorrow morning. If we stop now, there's no way we'll be able to finish all these scrolls before then."

"Then move the meeting back."

"I can't."

"Why not? Just say something came up."

"I told you, I can't," Zuko muttered, laying his head down on the desk and closing his eyes.

"You're the Fire Lord!" Aang said irritably. He threw the scroll in his hands back into its box. "If anyone could push the meeting back it would be you!"

"And _you're_ the Avatar." Zuko glared up at him. "Still, that doesn't give us the right to just—"

"Doesn't give us the right." Aang rolled his eyes. "You say that like we're going to kill someone."

"Ambassadors from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes are going to be there. We can't just tell them that the meeting isn't going to happen. That would mess up the other talks."

"It doesn't matter. Besides, we're discussing too many things at once! We need to take things one at a time, but they want answers to everything right away. You need to tell them we need to resolve the talks we're already having before we start any more."

"These things are important, Aang."

"I know, but this is ridiculous! They schedule meetings one after another, and we don't have time for anything else! I haven't been able to spend time with my friends for three weeks, and when was the last time you saw Mai?"

Zuko glared at him, but said nothing. "Look," he said, lifting his head off the table, "I know this is hard, but these things need to be discussed. Besides, we're going to figure what happens to Azula tomorrow, and I can't keep putting that off."

Aang felt his temper flare, and immediately pushed it back. They were both tired and stressed and missed their friends, and it wouldn't do any good to start snapping at each other. He took a deep breath. Then he said calmly, "Why do you need to discuss Azula with the other Nations?"

"Because they want a say in what will happen to her," Zuko said. He seemed to become even more and more tired as he spoke. "Particularly the Earth Kingdom since she was the one to capture Ba Sing Se."

"So? Who cares what they want you to do to Azula? What happens to her is _your_ decision, and no one else's. And there's nothing else in that meeting that's so important it can't wait until next week."

"But Azula—the other Nations, they—"

"Azula isn't a citizen of the other Nations. Her fate is decided by you alone."

Zuko ran a hand through his hair. "But I don't know _what_ to do with her."

Aang patted his shoulder. "You'll figure it out." He rolled up the remaining scrolls and placed them inside the open box on the table. "Come on. Let's get some sleep. The meeting can wait another week."

Zuko sighed, rose to his feet and followed Aang out of his study.


	6. Visit

**Title:** Visit

**Character(s):** Ty Lee, Azula

**Pairing(s):** None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Crazed

**Summery: **Ty Lee hears Azula can't sleep.

The door unlocked with a click, creaked open, and Ty Lee slipped inside the room. Azula was curled up in a corner, her bed still neatly made. Ty Lee frowned and crept toward her. As she neared, she could hear Azula's uneven breathing and see the tear streaks on her dirty face. Ty Lee knelt down beside her, scooped Azula into her arms and held her as she trembled.

"Mother?" Azula said. A ghost of a smile played on her lips. "You came."

Ty Lee bit her lip, tears slipping down her cheeks. She buried her face in Azula's hair. "Yeah, Azula. Yeah, I did." She swallowed hard. "The doctors told me you haven't been sleeping…"

Azula shivered. "I can't. Those…things… Everyone tells me there's nothing there, but I can see them. You can see them, can't you, Mom?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I can, Azula. But they won't hurt you, not while I'm here. So… So just go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay…" Azula nestled her head against Ty Lee's shoulder. "Promise you'll be here when I wake up?"

"Promise."


	7. Death

**Title:** Death

**Characters:** Azula, Ty Lee, Mai

**Pairing(s): **None

**Rating: **T

**Prompt:** Dead

**Summery:** Battles are cruel and unfair.

Azula blocked the fire blast and returned it with one of her own. The sounds of battle raged on around her: the clang of swords and armor, the roar of fire, the cries of the wounded. Azula struck out her leg, broke her opponent's stance and felled him with a fireball to the face. She didn't bother to check if he was dead as she moved on to another soldier.

"What's going on?" she shouted to a nearby guard.

"I don't know, Princess! They appeared from nowhere!" The guard blocked a fireball with his shield. He pulled off his helmet and threw it over the fire. A cry of surprise signaled its landing. "I believe they are the rebels that have been trying to overthrow Fire Lord Zuko!"

Azula cursed. _Poisons and daggers haven't worked, so they decided to try an all out attack?_ Her first instinct was to sneer in disgust, but maybe the plan wasn't as foolish as she thought. The attack had been unexpected, and no one was quite sure who was on what side.

In front of her, a soldier dove to the side, forcing Azula to leap out of the way of a flying dagger. There was a flash of red and black before Mai disappeared into the battle once more.

Someone popped up behind her. Azula spun around, swinging a flaming fist forward, only to be met by Ty Lee's shocked gaze. Azula lowered her fist, the flame going out.

"Ty Lee!" Azula exclaimed. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, Azula. I didn't mean to startle you." She paralyzed a soldier. He fell to the ground, and his spear rolled several feet from his hand. "I just wanted to tell you they're retreating."

Azula looked around. Sure enough, people were running back towards the gates. It was futile, really; they might have made it in, but they had the element of surprise then: they'd never make it back out. Barely a minute later the two of them were standing alone in the courtyard.

"What's going on, Azula?" Ty Lee asked. "Who were those people?"

"I'm not sure. I think that may have been the rebel group that's been trying to assassinate dear little Zuz—"

"_Azula!_" Ty Lee barreled into Azula, knocking her to the ground.

"Ty Lee, what—" Blood showered her, cutting off her sentence, and Ty Lee toppled onto her. Azula eyes widened as she stared at the man standing over her, bloody sword in hand. She pushed Ty Lee off her, jumping to her feet and sent a volley of fireballs at him. He dodged most, blocked another with his shield, lunged—and fell backward onto the grass with a knife sticking out of his throat.

Azula stood over him, breathing hard, her fists still smoking. She trembled. Someone screamed, and Azula turned around in time to see Mai fling herself to her knees beside Ty Lee, pressing her hands to Ty Lee's throat, desperately trying to stop the blood flow.

_Pointless, really; took a sword right to the jugular. She probably bled to death before the shock even began to wear off and the pain kicked in._ Azula stared at Ty Lee's lifeless body; tears pricked her eyes.

_That should have been you. That blow was meant for you, that blade meant to be stuck into_ your _neck, if Ty Lee hadn't knocked you down, you'd be laying there instead of her,_ should _be laying there instead of her._

I didn't ask her to do this.

You didn't have to; she did it anyway.

"Ty Lee," Mai sobbed, tears streaming down her face and mingling with the blood on her hands. Her shoulders shook. "Ty Lee, no…" She leaned back on her knees and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she twisted around to stare up at Azula. "What happened?"

_You killed her._

Azula didn't reply.

"What happened?" Mai demanded. "You saw it happen, I know you did! You were standing right there!"

_You were standing right there. You were standing right there, and you didn't save her. You let her die._

No, I didn't! There wasn't anything I could, look at all that blood, she was probably dead before she hit the ground—

"Azula, what happened!"

_Look at all that blood—_

Azula opened her mouth, paused, then closed it. Words escaped her. She crossed her arms, felt something wet on her cloths, and looked down. She was covered in Ty Lee's blood.

It was still warm.


	8. Bonding

**Title:** Bonding

**Characters:** Toph, Azula, OC

**Pairing(s): **brief mention of Mai/Zuko

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Defeated

**Summery: **Azula finds playing games with her niece irritating; Toph finds them hiliarious.

Toph raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. "I never thought I'd see the day the great Azula was beaten up by five-year-old."

"I'm not being 'beaten up' as you so kindly put it," Azula growled, painfully aware the fact her ankles were tied together and she was being choked by a small arm around her neck said otherwise.

"Yeah, right."

"Auntie 'Zuuuuuuullaaaaa," Amaya said, reaching for Azula's wrist, "come _on_. I'm supposed to tie you up now. It's part of the game!"

"Game? _What_ game?" Azula tried to shrug Amaya off her. "I don't remember us playing any game."

"Of course we are! You're the bad guy, 'member? I'm supposed to tie you up and take you to jail," Amaya said.

"No, I don't remember," Azula said, struggling to untie the rope around her ankles with one hand and remove Amaya's arm from her neck with the other. "All I remember is you attacking me like a savage the second I entered the room. Where did you get this rope, anyway?"

"If I'd waited, I wouldn't have taken you by surprise, and you might've escaped! Then I would've had to chase you." Amaya pulled herself up onto Azula's shoulder and grasped her right wrist. "Gotcha!"

At that moment, Azula loosened the rope around her ankles and stood up. Amaya slid to the floor with a squeak. Azula bent down to finish untying her legs, paused and straightened up, glaring at Toph.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? I seem to recall my brother making you his bodyguard. Shouldn't you be off guarding him?"

Toph shrugged. "Zuko and Mai are at a meeting, and Miss Gloomy asked if I could watch the kid since she seems to like me. And for whatever reason, the kid seems to like you, though I can't imagine why."

Azula was about to retort when a battle cry cut her off. Amaya tackled her, wrapping her tiny arms around Azula's waist. Azula tried to step back to catch her balance, but her legs were still tangled in the rope, and they both toppled backwards into a chair. The chair crashed to the ground, spilling them onto the floor painfully. Azula banged her shoulder hard on the corner of Amaya's desk, and her head smacked against the wooden floor.

As she lay there, dazed briefly, she heard Toph roaring with laughter and slapping her thigh. Slowly, though, another sound met her ears, and it took her a moment to place it: Amaya was sniffling.

_She'd better not be crying,_ Azula thought and turned her head. _...Damn._ Amaya's face was screwed up in pain. She cradled one hand to her chest, and though she looked determined not to cry, two fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Panic welled up in Azula. She had never had any tolerance for crying (except from Ty Lee), but she didn't think Toph, Mai or Zuko would take kindly to her telling a child—let alone her own niece—to "shut up and stop that pathetic sniveling." And she would certainly hear about it later from Ty Lee.

She sat up quickly, and pain stabbed her shoulder and skull, sharp and white hot. "Shit," she hissed.

Amaya stopped crying at once and gasped. She ran to Toph. "Toph! _Tooooooooph!_" She stared up at Toph with wide golden eyes.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Auntie 'Zula said a bad word," she said, tugging on Toph's sleeve. Azula noticed she was using the hand she had supposedly hurt. "Daddy says we're not s'pposed to say bad words 'cause of 'em being bad."

Toph grinned at Azula. "Yeah, _'Zula_, Daddy says you're not supposed to say bad words."

"Shut up," Azula snarled.

Toph's grin widened. "Now, now, Azula, that's not very nice, is it? Don't you want to set a good example for your niece?"

Azula opened her mouth to tell Toph _exactly_ what she wanted to do when Mai appeared beside Toph in the open doorway.

"Mommy!" Amaya cried, smiling, and hugged Mai.

"Hello, Amaya," Mai said. She returned Amaya's smile and stroked her shiny black hair. "Did you have fun with Toph?"

"Yeah, and me and Auntie 'Zula played a game, but Auntie 'Zula played it wrong." As she said this she shook her head sadly.

"Did she now?" Mai turned her gaze to Toph. "Thank you for watching her, Toph. You can go get lunch now if you want." Azula stopped rubbing the back of her head when Mai finally noticed her and scowled. "Azula, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," she growled and glared at Toph who remained leaning casually against the doorframe, that wide grin still plastered on her face. Azula ripped the remaining rope from her legs, tossed it aside and stood up. "I was just leaving."

Toph snickered. Azula pointedly ignored her, but when she passed, Toph pushed off the wall and followed her.

"That was really impressive, Azula," Toph said. "You're a true fighter there, Princess Hothead. The way you defended yourself against such a fierce enemy! They'll tell tales about your heroism for centuries!"

Azula grit her teeth.

"Hey! Hey, Twinkletoes! Listen to this!"

Azula didn't watch as Toph ran off down another corridor. She kept her eyes fixed in front of her. _Just keep walking…just—keep—walking._


	9. Taboo

**Title:** Taboo

**Characters:** Aang

**Pairing(s): **None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Dirty

**Summery: **Energybending isn't without its consequences.

Aang hates Energybending; he hates the feeling of touching another soul, of ripping out something essential and fundamental, of feeling his own soul touched by another. After his battle with Ozai, it takes half an hour for the adrenaline and fear and triumph to wear off and a feeling of uneasy and agitation to set in.

It feels like there's a layer of grime and muck covering his soul.

When he arrives at the Fire Nation Palace, and Zuko greets them, demanding to know what happened, he still does not know the source of his anxiety, and so when Zuko asks if he will take away Azula's Firebending, he agrees. It is uncomfortable seeing Azula laying on the ground, asleep, chained to a grate, clearly exhausted and drained of any fight that had been in her.

But Aang sees no reason to wake her, and so carefully turns her onto her back as best he can, places one hand on her forehead, the other over her heart and closes his eyes. As he begins, he feels their souls touch and shivers. A feeling of _wrongness_ comes over him, a feeling like he is breaking an ancient taboo. He feels as though he is touching something that was never meant to be touched, going where no one was meant to go, and the feeling overwhelms him until he pulls back.

He refuses to take Azula's bending. He refuses to explain what is wrong, to try and make anyone understand what it is like to feel as though your soul is covered in grime.

It takes years for that feeling to go away.


	10. Sentiment

**Title:** Sentiment

**Characters:** Sokka, Toph

**Pairing(s): **None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Down

**Summery:** Sokka mourns the loss of his weapons.

Sokka sat on the hard ground, watching the sun rise above the ocean. Everything seemed so peaceful. Still. Silent. It was hard to believe that only two days ago they had been fighting to save the world.

"Hey," said a familiar voice. Sokka looked up. "I thought I might find you here."

"Hey, Toph. What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Toph dropped beside him and leaned back against a rock lazily. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Sokka said, turning his gaze back to the ocean out of habit. He knew it was pointless because she couldn't see the expression on his face anyway, but it made him feel a bit better. "I was just thinking."

"Sokka, don't lie to me. Now what's _really_ on your mind?"

Sokka scowled. For a moment, he considered leaving but knew it was pointless: she would just follow him.

He sighed. "I lost my weapons. They were like a part of me—and now they're gone."

"You can always get more weapons, Sokka," Toph said. "There's no reason to be so down—"

"You don't get it! What if you lost your Earthbending?"

"That's _different_," Toph insisted. "I can't replace my Earthbending."

"And I can't replace my weapons, not just like that! It's—it's—"

"It's what?"

"Not that simple! Boomerang has been with me all my life, and my sword—I made that! With my own hands! It was special, it was made out of space rock! Where am I going to get that again?"

"I think you're just being overly dramatic."

"You know what? Forget it." Sokka stood up and brushed himself off. "You can be such a self-centered brat, you know that?" He stormed off, blood boiling. He didn't see the small smirk that curved Toph's lips.

It took an hour to reach the Palace and another half hour to locate his room (Zuko thought it was hilarious that he was constantly getting lost). There was a long, bulky package on his bed. He hesitated. Then he crossed the room, ripped open the packaging—and out fell his sword and boomerang. Numbly, Sokka picked up a note he hadn't noticed before and turned it over.

_Toph._

Sokka smiled and then smacked his forehead. _Great. Now I have to apologize…_ He wasn't looking forward to that.


	11. Jealousy

**Title:** Jealousy

**Characters:** Ty Lee, Azula

**Pairing(s): **Ty Lee/Azula

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Ecstatic

**Summery: **Ty Lee thinks about Azula and Chan.

Night had long ago fallen on Ember Island, the black sky liberally sprinkled with stars. Ty Lee recognized a handle of the constellations they formed but could only name one. She sighed and dropped her eyes to the ocean. It sparkled in the moonlight.

Everyone else was asleep, but after two hours of restless tossing and turning, Ty Lee had gotten up and headed back down to the beach. She couldn't get the memory of Azula kissing Chan out of her head.

_This is ridiculous!_ Ty Lee groaned, burying her face in her hands. _I was the one who gave her that advice!_ But if she were honest with herself, she hadn't actually expected it to work, had she? She had seen first hand how abysmal Azula's social skills were (something she found overwhelmingly endearing), and for the first time in a long time, Azula was out of her element and vulnerable. _Just a little bit of advice, what could it hurt?_ she thought bitterly. _I can't believe I let myself think she'd mess that up!_

Only…Azula had, hadn't she? The look on Chan's face brought a smile to Ty Lee's even now, and the remembrance of Azula so put out and full of injured pride still made sympathy rise up within her. But these thoughts brought her mind back around to the reason _why _Azula's pride had been injured, and her good mood instantly evaporated.

"Ty Lee?"

She jumped, head snapping up to stare at Azula with wide eyes. "A-Azula! W-what are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Azula stared down at her impassively. "Is something wrong?"

Ty Lee hesitated. "No, Azula." She sighed. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to look at the stars." She lowered her gaze to her lap. She peeked up at Azula. Azula was dressed in the clothes she had been wearing to the party, same as Ty Lee, but her hair was loose from its ever-present topknot, and it swayed slightly in the light breeze blowing off the ocean. She looked beautiful.

Azula frowned. "Ty Lee?"

"Yes?"

"You're a horrible liar."

Ty Lee frowned. "I know… Hey, Azula, what's the name of that constellation over there?" She pointed at the constellation that had been bothering her most.

"Don't change the subject."

"I don't want to talk about it, Azula, okay?" Her voice wasn't half as firm as she had hoped it would be.

Azula didn't budge. "Ty Lee, what's wrong?"

_What's wrong? Let's see, I'm in love with my best friend, and I stupidly gave her advice on how to pick up boys and now I can't sleep because I'm jealous she actually took my advice. Nothing wrong there._

Ty Lee remained silent, and the minutes dragged by.

Azula peered up at the sky. "Which one?"

"Which one what?"

"Which constellation were you looking at?"

Ty Lee held back a sigh of relief. "That one." She jabbed the air with her finger.

"I can't tell which one you're pointing to."

"Look—" Ty Lee grabbed Azula's arm and yanked her down onto the sand beside her. "_That_ one." And she pulled Azula against her side so Azula's line of sight could travel up her arm.

It seemed to take forever for Azula to decide what it was. Her body was warm against Ty Lee's, warding off the chill that had been creeping in. Ty Lee suppressed a shiver and smiled ecstatically. This, she decided, was enough for now.


	12. Plotting

This fic is connected to "Bonding." I suggest reading that one first.

**Title:** Plotting

**Characters:** Toph, Azula, OC

**Pairing(s): **None

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Embarrassed

**Summery:** A summer's day in the Fire Nation and an flawed plot for glory.

It was a hot afternoon in the Fire Nation, and four children huddled under the shade of an apple tree in the Palace courtyard. One of them, a girl with shiny black hair and yellow eyes, was whispering to the others who had leaned forward intently.

"So, is everyone clear on the plan?" she asked.

"I dunno, Amaya… What if it doesn't work? Won't she just get mad?"

"It _will_ work." Amaya scowled at her comrades. "What makes you think it wouldn't?"

"Well, it's just…this is _your_ aunt we're talking about. Princess _Azula_. She took down Ba Singe Se when she was fourteen—all by herself!" This last sentence was uttered in an awed whisper. Bao bit his lip, eyes alight with uncertainty. "I'm just saying…"

"Look," Amaya said, "if we can defeat my aunt, we'll go down in history. People will talk about it forever." She paused, counting three beats in her head, eyes scanning her friends. "_Forever_." She smirked at the temptation written across their faces. "Besides, with me as your leader, this _can't_ go wrong. I'm sure you've all heard of how I beat her four years go, right?"

The three children glanced at each other. They had, in fact, heard tales of that legendary defeat, some of them spoken from the mouth of Toph Bei Fong herself. As ashamed as they were to admit it, none of them were sure they believed these fanciful stories. But there was always a lingering doubt: if _Toph Bei Fong_ said it happened…

None of them noticed another shadow fall over them.

"What are your four up to?"

Amaya spun around, eyes wide while the others jumped and screamed—but it was only Toph. She grinned at them.

"Well?"

Amaya kept her gaze locked on Toph's sightless eyes while the others shifted and glanced at each other nervously.

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Amaya?"

There was only a moment's hesitation before Amaya drew herself up proudly. "We're going to defeat Princess Azula."

Both of Toph's eyebrows rose at this. "Why?"

"Because we'll be legends just like you. And besides, everyone wants to beat her, but they're all too scared to fight her. So _we're_ going to do it."

"_We're_?" Toph plopped down on the lush grass beside Bao (who quickly huddled against Sang) and crossed her arms. "So how are you going to do it?"

"None of your business."

Toph smirked. "Does this plan involve the element of surprise?"

Amaya scowled. "Maybe."

"I'm guessing yes. You're a group of kids. Of course, you'll need surprise to take down Princess Fruitcake." The smirk turned into a grin. "You know why it's not going to work?"

"Why?"

"Well, first it's because you're a horrible liar—got that from your dad—so your aunt already knows something's up. She mentioned it to me earlier." Toph cocked her head to the left. "Want to know the second reason?"

"Yeah!"

Toph pointed upward, and Amaya peered up into the branches. She gasped; there, in the top most part of the tree, sat Azula, eating an apple. Azula watched Amaya for a moment, lazily taking a bite the fruit in her hand, chewing, swallowing and finally smiling dangerously at Amaya.

"Your plan wouldn't have worked, anyway. I had that tunnel sealed off a year ago."

Amaya flushed. Azula smiled, a treacherous gleam in her eye, and dropped from the branches. Before Amaya could protest, Azula grabbed her around the waist and threw her into the pond. Amaya sat up, gasping and wiping water from her eyes.

"What was that for?" Toph demanded.

"_That_," Azula said in a satisfied manner, "was for four years ago."

Amaya glared at Azula, steam rising from her body. _I'll get you back for this. Count on it._


	13. Curious

**Title:** Curious

**Character(s):** Aang, Azula, Katara

**Pairing(s): **slight Aang/Katara

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Energetic

**Summery:** Azula wonders why Aang is so energetic.

"How does he do it?"

Katara tensed, turning to Azula. Azula's head was titled down slightly, her hair falling between them like a curtain. "Excuse me?"

Azula lifted her head, hair falling back, and Katara could see her eyes darting around as she tracked Aang on his glider. "How is he always so energetic?"

Katara blinked. She turned back to watching Aang. He was racing Momo through the trees. He banked sharply to the right and flew through an open window of Zuko's house. Someone inside screamed, the sound of breaking porcelain rang through the air, and Aang darted out another window, shouting, "Sorry!" Katara winced.

She watched Aang for a moment longer before saying, "I'm not sure. I never thought about it."

Azula scowled. She seemed to be trying to figure something out, but Katara judged by her obvious frustration that it was an incredibly difficult problem. What it had to do with Aang, though, was a mystery. Azula's gaze flicked to her and then to the ground; her head titled forward again, and her hair hid her face once more. That was fine with Katara.

Aang landed nearby, Momo perching on his shoulder, and ran over. "Katara, do you want to go to the beach?" He grinned. "You can come too, Azula. It'll be fun!"

Katara cringed. _Aang, I love you, but _why…?

"No," Azula said, frowning. Her brows were still furrowed, and she stared at Aang as if mentally dissecting him. Katara's fingers itched to uncap her waterskin.

Aang grabbed Azula's arm and tried pulling her off the log. "Come on! Why not?"

"I don't have time for your silly games," Azula said, pulling back.

"They're not silly! Besides, Azula, you need to relax every once in a while. It's good for you." He tugged harder on her arm, succeeding in lifting her an inch off her seat.

Katara shook her head. "Aang, just let her go. If she wants to be alone, we should let her." _And it wouldn't hurt to get away from her for a while, either._

Aang frowned, hesitating, and Azula pulled free. She sat back on the log, crossing her arms and glaring. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Aang said slowly. A mischievous glint entered his eyes. "If Azula's too scared of the water to go…"

Katara groaned. _Oh no…_


	14. Dangerous

**Title: **Dangerous

**Characters:** Aang, Azula

**Pairing(s): **slight one-sided Azula/Aang

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Ennui

**Summery:** Azula is dangerous.

Azula fascinates him; she always has: the cold, calculating look in her amber eyes; the perfectly manicured nails, the blue fire at her command. Even now, reduced to a screaming, sobbing beast, she captures his attention like no other. The tears in her eyes as she begs for her mother, the pathetic way she whispers apologies to Mai and Ty Lee, the sobs that wrack her body… She is like a blade that has been dulled—still beautiful and with a promise of her former glory.

She just needs to be sharpened.

Life after the war is tedious and boring. There are meetings to attend to, but they are long and little more than constant bickering even after two years...two long years since he defeated Ozai. He expected life to go back to normal—the way he remembered it as a child. He knew it would take time, but he never expected to feel like an ostrich-horse that was desperately trying to pull its cart of out the mud and becoming more and more tired and resigned as the hours passed.

For two years, everything has been the same, even his friends: Toph, Sokka, Zuko, Katara…

Katara… He loves comparing her to Azula. Both are strong and fierce. But Azula is better, he can see that now, has always been better. She is smarter than Katara, more beautiful, more unpredictable, more dangerous and now more _vulnerable._ She is superior in every way—except for bending. He gives credit to Katara for her strength and ability to match Azula blow for blow. Perhaps, he thinks, she might even be slightly better. But, should she be, that fact is inconsequential—no one can be perfect, after all, not even Azula.

He visits her often. At first she raged at him and then she screamed for him to leave her alone and begged for her mother until finally he began to be greeted by the sight of her cowering in the corner. She is scared of him, but he knows she is aware he is her only savior: everyone else deserted her long ago. And so when he reaches out his hand, she takes it, and he shivers at the touch. Her nails are filthy talons, no longer the perfect claws they had been, but her grip is firm. He knows all her old cunning, her old fire resides somewhere within her, ready to resurface at a moment's notice… Even now she is dangerous—though not as perfectly so, not as sharp a blade as she once had been—and he must be careful.

She could attack him.

Aang smiles at the thought. "Come with me, Azula. I can make you better." _I can make you sharp again._


	15. Celebration

**Title: **Celebration

**Characters:** Aang, Azula

**Pairing(s): **Azula/Aang

**Rating:** T

**Prompt:** Exhausted

**Summery:** Azula has some good news.

"How was your day?"

Azula scowled, and Aang chuckled softly.

"That bad, hm?"

He watched from his chair as the servants remove Azula's heavy chest plate and outer robes. Azula glared at them while they worked.

"Zuzu's supporters are making things very difficult," she said. Aang waited for her to say more, but it never came.

The servants were undressing her now, one standing off to the side, holding her nightrobe. His eyes roamed over her body appreciatively, lips twitching into a frown when the servant slipped the robe onto Azula and tied it closed, and he struggled to remember what he wanted to ask. "Was there any _good_ news at that meeting?"

"Yes." Azula smiled slightly. "The army of General Bei Fong has fallen."

He sat up a little straighter. "Was she captured?"

Azula smirked. Aang carefully kept his face neutral, wishing she would just give him the answer.

_But, no, she's having far too much fun toying with me for that…_ Aang suppressed a smile and a shudder.

"No," Azula said finally. "General Bei Fong was not captured." There was a slight emphasis on 'captured,' and Aang heart sank briefly.

"I see." _She's dead, then._ It would have been nice to converse with his former teacher again even though he knew it would have consist of nothing more than her mouthing off and throwing around accusations.

Their work finished, the servants filed out of the room. Aang watched them go, tapping his fingers together. With Toph dead that left Zuko as the only surviving member of the old group. Perhaps Katara as well, but it was unlikely. She wasn't one to just disappear as she had. Several months prior, he and Azula had begun to hear rumors of a spirit called the Painted Lady attacking Fire Nation soldiers. But although, he had never told Azula of his suspicions, he figured she must have suspected something from his demeanor for almost as soon as the attacks had started, they had stopped and the Painted Lady had disappeared.

Aang rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. He had spent the entire day training, but somehow that piece of information made him feel far more tired now than he had all day. "That's one less problem, I suppose."

"Yes, it is," Azula said. "A powerful enemy has been defeated. It's a great victory for the Fire Nation."

Aang smiled. "You mean for you."

"Of course. I think it deserves some…celebration." Azula strolled passed him and sat on the edge of the bed. She paused. "Unless you're too _exhausted _from your training today.

Aang stood from his chair, smirking, and approached her, suddenly feeling alert. "Of course not."


	16. Spying

**Title:** Spying

**Characters:** Aang, Azula, Ty Lee, Sokka

**Pairing(s):** Ty Lee/Azula

**Rating:** K+

**Prompt:** Fight or Flight

**Summery:** Aang and Sokka spy on Azula and Ty Lee during a festival in the Fire Nation.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Of course! Now…I know I saw Azula and Ty Lee head this way…"

Aang bit his lip and stopped halfway down the alley. "Sokka, I have a bad feeling about this."

Sokka ignored him, peeking around the building and down another alley. The sounds of the festival made it hard to hear each other.

"Come on, Aang. You have to know they can't be up to anything good. Now…" Sokka spun around, one hand holding his fake beard, the other a headband. "We need disguises!"

Aang stared. "Sokka, where did you get those?"

"That's not important." Sokka put on the beard, adjusted it and grabbed Aang. Aang struggled to get free. Sokka forced the headband on and as he stepped back to admire his work, Aang's hand immediately flew to the knot in the back, skimming over his short hair. Sokka slapped his hand away.

"Come on," he said and slipped around the corner.

Aang groaned.

It took less than five minutes for them to come across two cloaked figures. Sokka held out an arm, baring Aang's path. They ducked into another alley, and Sokka pressed himself against the wall while Aang knelt down and peered around the corner. One of the figures looked around before lowering their hood: Azula. Ty Lee followed suite as Azula murmured something, and Ty Lee giggled, wrapping her arms around Azula's neck. Azula placed her hands on Ty Lee's waist and rested her forehead against Ty Lee's.

Aang raised an eyebrow, and his gaze darted to Sokka who looked to be entering a state of shock. He shrugged and turned back to Azula and Ty Lee.

They held a murmured conversation for a minute longer, and suspicions ran through Aang's mind. The idea was ridiculous, though. Well, Azula maybe, but _Ty Lee…_? She couldn't be, could she?

Then Azula leaned forward and pressed her lips against Ty Lee's, banishing all doubt from Aang's mind. He pulled on Sokka's pant leg. "Sokka." He looked up at Sokka and tugged again. "Sokka, I think we should leave."

"Hold on a second, Aang," he said slowly. "Maybe it's a trick."

"Sokka, I know you're paranoid, but I don't think this is a trick." Aang stood up and pulled on Sokka's sleeve. "I mean, look at them, does that look like a—what is Azula doing with her _tongue_?"

Sokka gulped, and his jaw dropped. "Why didn't _I _ever think of that?"

"Sokka." Aang wrapped his arms around Sokka's waist, tugging him backward. Sokka grabbed the corner and hung on. "Sokka!" Aang hissed. "We need to leave. They're obviously not doing anything wrong…"

"Leave?" Sokka whispered. "Are you _crazy?_ Two…two… Aang, what's some Fire Nation slang for extremely beautiful?"

"Um…" Aang wracked his brain for a second. "Hot?"

"Yes, two _hot_ girls are making out, and you want to leave?"

Aang hesitated. Sokka had a point…but what if they were caught? What would Azula do to them? Or Ty Lee? Or even (Aang blanched) Katara if she ever found out?

"The idea is tempting, Sokka," Aang said, "but it won't be worth it if we get caught."

"We're not going to get caught," Sokka said. "You worry too much."

"Oh? Does he really?"

Aang leapt backward. "A-Azula!"

Azula stood in the mouth of their alleyway, amber eyes cold. Ty Lee stood beside her, cheeks tinged pink, one arm around Azula's waist.

"Azula," Aang said, "we were just…we were…"

Azula glared at him, eyes boring into him, and he trailed off, stuttering. There was no way to cover this up…

Aang lunged, pushing Sokka toward Azula—almost _into_ Azula—and leapt onto one of the buildings. "It was Sokka's idea!"


	17. Accident

**Title:** Accident

**Characters: **Mai, Zuko, Aang

**Pairing(s):** Mai/Zuko

**Prompt:** Generous

**Summery: **Mai isn't happy. Zuko attempts to diffuse the situation.

Mai glared. Aang grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, covered in tea and cake. A servant girl picked up the pieces of the broken plates and cups and fled.

"Sorry," Aang said. "I…I'll pay more attention next time."

Mai carefully made her expression neutral again, fuming. Zuko stepped up beside her, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see the nervous look on his face.

"Relax, Mai," he whispered. He continued in a hilarious purr Mai had long ago learned was his attempt at being seductive. "Let's just…go get you cleaned up, okay?" His hand brushed against her hip.

Mai resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smirked. Aang's gaze darted from her to Zuko and back. Mai narrowed her eyes slightly.

"You're lucky I'm feeling generous today."


	18. Freedom

**Title:** Freedom

**Characters: **Toph

**Prompt:** Happy

The rock was hard and cool under her feet, carrying vibrations easily and painting an intricate vision of the world around her. Mountains on all sides. _Dirt,_ she thought, smiling,_ earth, rock._ She wiggled her toes, relishing the feeling of stone and the isolation of her location.

Her sense of distance had been affected by flying, but she knew her house was long gone. Not even stretching her senses could bring up an image of it, no matter how sketchy.

Her parents, her house, the rules…all gone. She was free. She grinned again and almost laughed.

She was free.


	19. Hope

**Title:** Hope

**Characters:** Aang, Katara

**Prompt:** Hopeful

"I just want you to be prepared for what you might see."

Katara's words are lost on him. He knows she's wrong, _has_ to be wrong and yet…

He _did_ overhead some of the elders talking about advances in Fire Nation technology, and though he never caught specifics, they had been very worried…

Aang swallowed and hoped Katara was wrong.


	20. Learning

Related to "Bonding" and "Plotting." However, you don't need to read either of those in order to understand this.

**Characters:** Azula, Amaya (OC)

**Pairing(s):** implied Mai/Zuko

**Rating:** K+

**Warning(s):** very slight language

**Word Count:** 2,785

**Prompt:** Ingenuous

**A/N:** There will probably be a part two to this.

**Summery:** Amaya only wants to be like her Aunt Azula.

I.

Amaya rubbed her hands together, showering bread crumbs on the grass, and watched the turtle-ducks peck at the soggy loaf bobbing in the water. She reached out for another chunk of bread. Zuko chuckled, grabbing her wrist.

"Amaya, slow down. You need to make the pieces smaller for the turtle-ducks, okay?" He pinched the edge of the loaf between his thumb and finger and tore off a piece the size of his thumb. "See? No bigger than this." And he tossed the bread into the pond.

"Okay." Amaya ripped off a piece of bread and dropped it into the water. "Daddy, when's Auntie 'Zula coming home?"

Zuko paused. Amaya gazed up at him, blinking from the harsh light of the sun.

"I don't know, Amaya. In a couple of weeks, I think. Remember, Azula is trying to protect Fire Nation citizens—she can't come home too early."

"Well, I think it's stupid." Amaya glowered at the pond. "She missed my birthday."

"I'm sure she regrets that," Zuko said. Sometimes lying was the best policy. Amaya frowned at him so he added, "Especially when she learns she missed your first Firebending." That, at least, was true enough.

"Really?" Amaya smiled briefly before frowning again. "Only I think she'll be mad 'cause I couldn't control it and set you on fire on accident."

Zuko vividly remembered the hem of his robes going up in flames. "She'll be sorry she missed that. She would have found it hilarious." That, he felt, was truer still.

But Amaya seemed intent on being negative. "And she didn't send me a present!"

"I'm sure she's just been busy." Not, of course, that Azula had ever gotten Amaya a present before, but if Amaya didn't remember that, Zuko wasn't going to tell her.

"Do you think--_Auntie 'Zula!_" Amaya leapt to her feet and tore across the courtyard. Zuko looked up. Azula was walking around the edge of the courtyard with Toph, and she turned to watch Amaya race toward her.

Amaya threw her arms around Azula's waist. Azula twitched.

"Auntie 'Zula, guess what? Guess what I did!"

Azula frowned, prying Amaya's arms from her waist. "What?"

"I can _Firebend!_ It was at my birthday party—I'm five now, Auntie 'Zula—and I set Daddy on _fire!_"

Azula smirked and ruffled Amaya's hair. "Congratulations." She looked up at Zuko as he approached. "Did she give you another scar, Zuzu?"

Zuko grit his teeth. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the Earth Kingdom for at least two more weeks."

"There was a change of plans," Azula said. "We found out where the Earth Kingdom sav—" Toph elbowed Azula hard in the side, scowling, and Azula glared. "The Earth Kingdom _rebels_ were hiding. It was an abandoned town about seven miles away from the colony, hidden in the mountains. We burned it down."

Zuko's lips twitched into a frown. "Why didn't I receive word of this?"

"We had to move before the rebels found out, Zuzu. I'm sure you can understand that." Azula smiled sweetly, and Zuko clenched his fists.

He forced his hands open. "What happened to the survivors?"

Azula's smile instantly turned to a smirk. "_What_ survivors?"

Zuko's eyes widened. "Azula, you can't—"

"You took out _all_ the rebels, Auntie 'Zula?" Amaya said. To Zuko's horror, she sounded awed. "Really?"

"Of course I did."

"_Wow_."

Zuko glanced up, and he and Toph shared a troubled frown.

II.

Amaya crouched behind a pillar and peered around it, watching Azula closely as she moved fluidly from stance to stance, blue flames shooting from her hands and feet to lick the air. She made it look so easy. Azula dropped to the ground, sweeping her leg in a wide arc, sending a wave of fire over the training ground, jumped to her feet, and then—Amaya's eyes widened—swept her hands through the air, electricity crackling from her fingertips.

With a crash that made Amaya clamp her hands over her ears, lightning lanced upward into the sky, beautiful and deadly. Her eyes remained locked on the sky long after it faded.

"Amaya, where should you be, right now?"

Amaya blinked and looked around the pillar. Azula stood several feet away, arms crossed. Amaya swallowed.

"I…I'm supposed to be at my Firebending lesson."

"And why aren't you there?"

"Because I wanted to watch you instead…can you teach me how to make lightning?"

Azula's frown deepened. "No."

"No? Why? I can do it!"

"No, you can't. You don't have the discipline or the skill. Go to your lesson."

But I want to learn from _you_," Amaya said. "You're the best!"

Azula narrowed her eyes. "Isn't Zuzu your teacher?"

"Only sometimes," Amaya said. "The rest of the time it's Captain Chan."

"Chan?" Azula raised an eyebrow. "_He's_ your Firebending teacher?" She hesitated, appearing to mull something over.

"I don't know why Dad picked him either," Amaya said, scowling. "He's a jerk. And stupid. I'd rather learn from you."

Azula gazed down at her for a moment. "Because I'm the best," she said. It wasn't a question.

Amaya nodded.

"What about the Avatar? He's a Firebending Master, and he visits here often enough. _He_ could be your teacher."

"Yeah," Amaya said slowly, sensing this answer was vitally important, "but he can't control blue fire or lightning. And he isn't any where near as smart as you are either."

Azula's lips twitched into a brief smile, but for a moment, Amaya thought Azula was on to her.

"Show me your forms."

Amaya blinked, hesitated, and then slowly went through her forms. Azula watched her closely, and Amaya sped up. The basic forms were precise and graceful, but Amaya was uncomfortably aware of Azula's eyes boring into her, and her moves grew sloppy. Azula frowned.

Amaya blushed, ducking her head.

"You were trying too hard," Azula said. "Do it again."

Amaya went through the forms five more times, becoming increasingly frustrated and nervous.

"Again," Azula said.

"Aunt Azula, I know these forms, I just—"

"I said, do them again."

Amaya swallowed. For a moment, she considered refusing. She started through the forms again, taking her time and trying to push the thought of Azula's disappointment from her mind. It went much smoother, and Amaya thought she saw a hint of satisfaction in Azula's expression.

"Better," she said. "Now watch me and do what I do."

They went on like this for half an hour, Azula showing her a move and Amaya copying it, sometimes doing it simultaneously, before anyone else showed up. Amaya cupped a ball of fire in her hands, feeling the heat radiating off it, hotter than she'd ever managed before, admiring the blue tinge to its base.

"Amaya!"

Amaya looked up, the fire dissipating. Zuko approached them, looking furious.

"Why aren't you at your lesson? Why didn't you tell anyone where you were? For all I knew, you could have been kidnapped!"

"Relax, Zuzu," Azula said, rolling her eyes. "She was with me the whole time."

Zuko opened his mouth, glanced at Amaya and immediately shut it.

"It's true, Dad," Amaya said. "I was with Aunt Azula the whole time. She was teaching me Firebending." Something flickered in Zuko's eyes that she couldn't place. "I learned a lot. Way more than I learned from Chan." She hesitated. "Could Aunt Azula be my teacher from now on?"

Zuko frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Don't worry, _Zuko_, I'm not going to tell her to do bad things, if _that's_ what you're worried about," Azula said, smirking. "I'll make sure she eats her vegetables and takes her naps."

"I don't need naps!" Amaya said indignantly. Azula tossed her a smirk, and Amaya realized she had only been joking.

"Azula," Zuko growled.

"_Please_, Dad, _please_," Amaya said. "I want Aunt Azula to be my teacher."

Zuko frowned, but Amaya knew he had never been able to resist her puppy-cat eyes. "Fine," he said. "Fine."

Amaya grinned.

III.

For as long as she could remember, Amaya had wanted to be like Azula: smart, beautiful, cunning, powerful. She wanted to walk with precise and confident strides, to be able to command armies and strike fear into her enemies' hearts, to be able to form brilliant plans that would bring glory to the Fire Nation and herself.

For hours she would imagine herself as the conqueror of great cities like Ba Sing Se, acting out those dreams with her friends as enemy soldiers. One by one, they would fall by her hand, and hers alone until she single handedly took the city—just like Azula did.

_Better than Azula,_ she thought. _I did it on my own._

When she was seven, Azula became her Firebending teacher, and she progressed more rapidly in the art than she ever had under Chan's tutelage. It was clear that she was a prodigy—perhaps not as much as Azula had been—but close enough that it gave Amaya thrills to think about, and she knew it worried her father and mother.

Amaya was one step closer to realizing her dream; she could almost taste it.

By the time she was eight, her flames were tinged blue without her even thinking about it. Amaya delighted in this, frequently hiding away just to sit and stare at the ball of fire in her hands.

"How long did it take for _you_ to get blue fire?" Amaya asked.

Azula stared at the fire in Amaya's hands impassively. "Your fire isn't blue yet. I doubt it ever will be." She turned her gaze to Amaya's face. "But my fire was fire tinged blue when I was nine." Her eyes narrowed. "Of course, I didn't have a teacher."

That was true, and Amaya knew that. She _knew_ Azula had had to figure it out on her own, but that still didn't deter the glow of pride inside her. It didn't stop a voice from whispering in the back of her mind:

"You've surpassed your aunt. You've surpassed _Princess Azula._"

And it didn't stop her from thinking, _One day, I'll be greater than she ever was._

IV.

Amaya scowled, stalking through the Palace halls toward her room, soaking wet. She saw a brief look of dismay from one of the Palace servants; she realized they must have just finished this hall.

_Good,_ she thought, dragging a foot over the floor, leaving a streak of mud in her wake. _At least, I'm not the only one who's miserable._

She rounded the corner, paused, and ducked back around. Azula stood outside her bedroom door, frowning at Ty Lee.

"Azula, what's this I hear about you throwing Amaya in a pond?" Ty Lee said.

"Nothing." Azula turned, but Ty Lee placed a hand on Azula's shoulder, stopping her.

"Toph just told me you threw Amaya in a pond." Ty Lee frowned. "Why would you do that?"

Azula glared and attempted to shrug off Ty Lee's hand. "She just needed to be taught a lesson, that's all. She won't attempt any ridiculous stunts again."

"What did she do?"

"She and her little friends were going to ambush me using one of the hidden passages in the Palace."

"And that warranted you throwing a _nine-year-old_ in a pond? What could she have done? Really? You could have sent them running home in less than a minute."

"Would you rather I had made them cry?"

"No," Ty Lee said, glaring, "but you didn't have to embarrass her either. You could've told Mai."

Azula laughed humorlessly. "And let Mai know Amaya is turning into a cowardly, manipulative bitch like me?"

Amaya began to lean further out around the corner, intrigued, but caught herself and shrank back.

"You're not any of those things," Ty Lee said softly, letting her hand slide down to rest above Azula's elbow.

"Mai's words. Not mine."

Ty Lee sighed heavily and pulled Azula into a hug. Azula didn't return it, but Amaya watched with raised eyebrows as Azula rested her head against Ty Lee's shoulder.

V.

Amaya pushed her bedroom door closed, scowling. After years of practice and hard work, she had finally managed to create her first spark of lightning. It had crackled at her fingertips and made her hands tingle, and though the spark fizzled and died without going anywhere, it had filled her with elation. She was only eleven, and here was her first spark of lightning.

It was short lived when she discovered, an hour later, that she would no longer be training with Azula. No one would tell her why.

Amaya glared at Ty Lee who sat on her bed. "What do you want?"

Ty Lee took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you about Azula."

"Do you know why I was banned from being her student?" Amaya demanded, flopping down in a chair near Ty Lee.

"You need to turn it around," Ty Lee said. "_She_ was banned from being your teacher."

"It sounds the same to me."

"It's not. You think you're being punished for learning to create lightning, right?" Ty Lee paused, and Amaya nodded slowly. "Well, you're not. _Azula's_ being punished—for teaching you to create lightning."

"But _why_?" Amaya said. "I don't understand, and no one will tell me!"

Ty Lee leaned forward and placed a hand on Amaya's knee. "That's why I'm here. I'm going to tell you why." She gazed at Amaya for a moment before leaning back on her arms.

"Zuko didn't want Azula to be your teacher in the first place," Ty Lee said. "He was worried of what might happen. He already knows that you want to be like Azula, and that thought scares him. I think it might scare Azula too, but she'd never admit that."

"Why?"

Ty Lee turned her head to stare out a window thoughtfully. She seemed to be collecting her thoughts. After a moment, she turned back to Amaya. "How much do you know of Azula's past?"

Amaya furrowed her eyebrows. "I know she captured Ba Sing Se with the help of you and my mom, and that she was almost crowned Fire Lord. I know she chased my dad and the Avatar across the Earth Kingdom and that she stopped an invasion force from taking the Fire Nation Capital during the Day of Black Sun…" She trailed off. This was all common knowledge, but she knew Ty Lee was expecting—or looking—for more. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

"That's all true. But did you know that Azula killed Aang? Did you know that she sent me and Mai to jail for betraying her? Did you know that she went insane?"

Amaya swallowed.

"Azula always had to be perfect, even when we were kids. Her father demanded it of her, and she demanded it of herself—she still does to an extent." Ty Lee hesitated. "Amaya, I'm going to tell you something, and I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone else. And please don't tell Azula. Okay? Thank you."

For the next half hour, Amaya sat riveted in her chair as Ty Lee told her about Azula's need for perfection, her disregard for others—even her friends—and about her decent into madness. She listened to how Zuko and the Avatar worked together to bring her back to sanity.

"She still has nightmares," Ty Lee said. "And she's changed a lot, but Mai doesn't care. Mai will never forgive her. Zuko's trust only extends so far and part of that is Azula's fault because of her attitude. Aang is friendly, but… Katara is like Mai; she will never trust Azula and will never think she deserves a second chance. Toph is the closest thing to a friend Azula has besides me.

"And that's what scares your parents. They can see you becoming like her. You're a prodigy, you're smart, you're cunning, and you have an obvious ability to manipulate others, your friends in particular. And it's no secret you admire Azula."

Ty Lee fell silent. She appeared to struggle for more words but none came, and eventually she stood and placed a hand on Amaya's shoulder. "Your parents don't want you to end up like Azula has."

"I'm not going to," Amaya said, glaring.

_I'm better than that. I'm smarter._ But there was a sense of fear behind the thought now. What if she wasn't smarter?

As if reading her thoughts, Ty Lee frowned and tightened her grip on Amaya's shoulder. "Just think about what I've told you. Okay?"

Amaya nodded and followed Ty Lee to the door. Once Ty Lee had disappeared around a corner, Amaya slammed the door.

_I _am_ better than that. I _am_ smarter._


	21. Birth

**Title:** Birth

**Pairing(s):** Aang/Katara

**Rating:** K+

**Genre:** Family/Drama

**Word Count:** 249

**Prompt:** Joy

**Summary:** Aang waits for his child to be born.

Aang hovered by the door, straining his ears in the hope of picking up even the slightest sound from the other side. It had been silent for several minutes. He wrung his hands and bit his lip. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sokka stop his pacing and lean against the opposite wall, crossing his arms.

"Aang, would might stopping your fidgeting? You're making me nervous," Sokka said.

"But Katara—"

"Look, I'm sure she's fine. This is my sister we're talking about. And besides, she made it through one pregnancy just fine, didn't she? How hard can a second one be?"

Aang groaned. "I know she was fine last time. But that doesn't mean she'll be fine this time." He took a deep breath and turned to where his little girl sat several feet away, playing with a stuffed rabbaroo. "Besides," he whispered, leaning forward, "could you keep your voice down?"

Sokka began to respond but the door swung open (Aang jumped), and Toph stepped out. She smirked. "Congratulations, Twinkletoes. You have a son." Aang's eyes dropped to the bundle of cloth in her arms. She held it out, and Aang took it.

He cradled it in one hand; he pushed the cloth aside with his other so that he could see his son's face clearly.

His son. The baby is his arms was his own flesh and blood. Tears pricked his eyes; he blinked them back and kissed his son's forehead gently.

_His son._


	22. Taking Care of You

**Title:** Taking Care of You

**Character(s):** Mai, Ty Lee

**Pairing(s):** very slight Mai/Ty Lee

**Rating:** K+

**Genre:** Friendship/General

**Word Count:** 448

**Prompt:** loving

**Summary:** Ty Lee isn't feeling well.

Ty Lee sneezed and pulled the blankets around her tighter, shivering and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Her long hair was loose from its braid and plastered to her face; the silk sheets stuck to her body.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to clear her mind: it was so hot. She rolled over onto her other side and reached over the side of the bed. Where was the bucket…? She looked up when she heard the door swing open. Mai kicked the door closed with her foot and approached the bed, carrying a silver tray laden with soup and tea, and set it on the stand beside the bed; it clanked as it was set down sending a stab of pain through Ty Lee's head.

"How are you feeling?"

Mai's tone was as bored as usual (though Ty Lee thought she could detect a hint of concern in it), but it was quiet and for that she was grateful.

"Not good," she said. She closed her eyes and sighed softly. "Did you bring any medicine?" She heard Mai move, the splash and dripping of water, and a cool, wet cloth was placed on her forehead. She felt Mai's hand holding it in place and hummed in appreciation.

"Thank you." Ty Lee cracked opened her eyes and smiled.

"You'll feel better soon," Mai said. "Here, sit up." Ty Lee groaned and tried to bury herself in the sheets, but Mai grabbed her and pulled her up to rest against the backboard. Mai grabbed the bowl of soup and passed it to Ty Lee. "Eat this, and then you can have your medicine. _No_ arguing."

Ty Lee frowned, her protests cut off before they had even begun. She ate the soup in silence while Mai ate her own lunch, and once she finished, Mai took the bowl, set it aside and handed her the medicine.

"Do you really think I'll get better soon?"

Mai took the empty medicine cup from Ty Lee and set it back on the tray. "Of course. It's just an illness that's been going around. Almost everyone else has had it, and it only lasts a few days."

"A few days?" Ty Lee groaned and lay down again and pulled the blankets over her head. "I'm going to die."

To Ty Lee's surprise, Mai chuckled. "No, you're not." She tugged the sheets from Ty Lee's hands and lifted them away from her face. "I'll take care of you." She kissed Ty Lee's forehead, wiped it once more with the damp cloth and rubbed her back gently.

Ty Lee smiled and drifted off toward sleep: she felt better already.


End file.
